"If you have a gun in your house and you don't need (it,) you don't want that sitting there unattended. Get rid of it. If it was purchased yesterday or 50 years ago and you don't want it, get rid of it. If it works, it can kill," said Dr. David Shapiro, who works in the trauma unit at St. Francis.

People who turn in operable firearms through the gun buyback program will receive store gift cards. The offer is $75 dollars for every handgun or revolver and $25 dollars for a shotgun or rifle.

The guns will be destroyed unless testing reveals that they were used in a crime.

"Every gun we take off the streets potentially prohibits somebody from injuring themselves or injuring a loved one or taking a life on our streets." Brian Heavren, assistant chief of the Hartford Police Department said.